Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 382 · 40 questions

Engineer's tip (Low, wide, flexible): Safer: wide base, flexible joints, bracing, steel in concrete, light roof, rubber pads, simple shape. Less safe: heavy tops, narrow bases, loose bricks, no steel, brittle joints. Tipping: compare height ÷ base width — the smaller it is, the steadier the block.

1. 1.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) on a thin pole (c) on the very top (d) hanging outside
2. 2.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
3. 3.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they bend, not break (c) they look nice (d) they stop shaking
4. 4.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
6. 6.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
7. 7.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
10. 10.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
14. 14.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) keeping a simple shape (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
16. 16.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) leaving out steel bars (d) keeping a simple shape
20. 20.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
21. 21.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
22. 22.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
23. 23.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a light roof
24. 24.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
27. 27.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
29. 29.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
30. 30.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a shake table (c) a fridge (d) a telescope
31. 31.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
34. 34.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
35. 35.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) building tall and narrow
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding steel to concrete
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof

Free engineering lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/engineering-for-kids